Hello and a big, warm welcome to The Sporting Mindset. I am Lindsay Woodford chartered sport and exercise psychologist and founder of The Sporting Mindset. My goal is to help you achieve personal excellence through the development of a winning mindset. What you believe in your mind, you can achieve in your sport!

There is lots of information on my website, so here is a little guide to help you find what you are looking for;

PASSION About sport psychology; What is it and how can we use it to improve your performance.
YOU Doing sport psychology; What do we do in a sport psychology session and how much it costs.
ME My story; What are my qualifications, experiences and interests.
SUCCESS My athletes’ stories; A few testimonials from some of the amazing athletes I have worked with.
TRAIN Sporting Mindset Workouts; Training videos to help you start to develop your winning mindset right now!
ASK  Frequently asked questions.
CONTACT Get in touch
RESEARCH Find out about my latest research

You can connect with me through social media, I have lots to say on Twitter @sportingmindset, when it comes to the latest sporting events and Instagram is full of pictures of my superfood creations, latest athletic endeavours and the odd furry friend have a look at lindsay_woodford.

Get in touch, tell me your story and lets start working together to develop your winning mindset.

People often ask me what a sport psychologist does, I see my role as improving athletic performance and mental health in sport. So for example, this might be using psychological skills training such as relaxation and self-talk to help manage nerves. Working with an athlete and coach to improve communication to help build a better working relationship. Or in a mental health capacity to help athletes cope with injury or adjust to life after sport if they have retired.

My skill is in developing a good working relationship with you, one that encourages us to talk openly to identify issues, develop training plans and execute them. It is about us discussing where you want to be and me helping you get there. Our work is very much athlete-centred, it is your sport and it is your journey to achieving personal excellence. 

To find out what we would actually do in a sport psychology session have a look at the YOU section. If you are super motivated and want to start developing your mental skills right now, awesome get involved with the Sporting Mindset Workouts on the TRAIN page. Every month I upload a new video to my You Tube channel, so be sure to subscribe to keep that motivation. If you have any questions or just want to chat about your sport I would love to talk to you so get in via the CONTACT page.

ATHLETES:

Individual:
Working at a one to one level is brilliant, as it gives us the opportunity to develop a training programme that is as unique as you are. It allows us to develop your own sporting mindset that will help you to achieve personal excellence. 

The initial 1-1 session is about us getting to know each other and identifying potential performance issues. The session takes 45 minutes and costs £50. It can be at my home office near Salisbury, at your sporting venue (subject to travel expenses) or virtually via Skype, Facetime or telephone.

Team:
Working with teams and clubs is awesome, as results are maximised when our work is implemented at both an individual and team level. At a 1-1 level we can focus on developing an individuals mindset and address any challenges they might be facing. At a team level I can deliver workshops to introduce sport psychology concepts to the group (e.g. motivation, confidence, coping with injury) and we can work on optimising team performance (e.g. creating a team vision and values, boosting team cohesion, improving communication).

I am a key player in the team behind the team and I work closely with coaches and other sport science professionals. I am always keen to see our work in action and I try to attend as many practices and competitions as possible. Observation is a significant part of my work as a sport psychologist and I can provide valuable support and feedback to athletes and coaches. 

The programme and cost of this service is very much dependent on your requirements. For example I can work with your team for a few weeks during the pre-season and training camps, or for the whole season. Please get in touch and we can put a package together that suits your needs. 

COACHES:

Working with coaches is fantastic, as we can use sport psychology principles to maximise performance and enjoyment for both you and your athletes. Being a coach is a high profile and a high pressure job, with your performance often being dependent on your athletes. Winners and losers are decided on minute margins and a winning coaching mindset that allows you to thrive under pressure, can be what makes the difference. We can work together to help you achieve personal excellence as a coach and to learn psychological skills to bring out the best in your athletes.

I am a psychologist so I have a tendency to use ten words when one will suffice, so rather than bore you about myself here are some slightly interesting facts;

GEEKY:

• HCPC Registered Practitioner
• BPS Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist
• MSc Sport Science Loughborough University
• BSc Psychology Loughborough University
• Senior lecturer at the University of the West of England, Bristol

EXPERIENCED:

• Bristol Bears Rugby
• Western Storm Cricket
• The Premier League
• Bristol Rovers FC

SPORTY:

• Competitive dressage rider
• Former national level rower
• Former GB age group triathlete

FUN:

• Rock chick
• Traveller
• Superfoodie
• Poirot fan
• Adoptive parent of all things furry

I have been privileged to work with some of the most talented, dedicated and driven athletes in the country. We have achieved national and international success across a range of sports including; rugby, tennis, triathlon, darts, cycling, athletics, basketball and rowing to name a few! Some of my athletes have really kindly made some video testimonials for you to watch, so please watch the ‘success’ video. If you have any questions about the work we can do together please get in touch, I would love to hear your story and for us to start developing your winning mindset.

IMAGERY SEEING IS BELIEVING AND DOING

Some of you may know I am a keen dressage rider and whilst I now compete on a black beauty called Chico, I learnt to ride on a gorgeous old gentleman called Ernie. One of the mental skills techniques that I use to help me learn and improve my dressage tests is imagery. It is a really effective technique for improving performance in any sport. So with the help of my fluffy co presenter in this video I share my top imagery tips. As you will see he gets pretty sleepy towards the end, hopefully you will find what I am saying more interesting than Ernie did!

 

• Mindfulness

• KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON RUNNING

  Endurance sports are about keeping going when the going gets tough, but what happens when it gets really tough? This is when the mind-body connection comes into play and we start arguing in our head “my legs are too tired, no they’re not, I have to stop, no keep going.”
  We all know that we are supposed to keep our self-talk positive but what if we can’t. What if our legs really are tired and our pace is dropping?

  Mindfulness is a fantastic technique that has gained popularity in recent years with athletes, particularly in endurance sports. It is about being aware of what is happening, accepting it without argument and taking action. Mindfulness can help us to get into our running zone so it feels effortless and this is where PBs are smashed!

  In this video I teach you how you can use mindfulness to help you keep calm and carry on running whatever happens.

   

• Injury

• HOW TO TURN A MINOR SETBACK INTO A MAJOR COMEBACK

  Getting injured is part and parcel of being an athlete. But how you react to it emotionally and psychologically can have major implications for your wellbeing, adherence to rehabilitation programmes and recovery. In this video I talk about my top three tips to help athletes turn a minor injury setback into a major athletic comeback.

• Reviewing Your Performance

• THE MENTAL RECOVERY PLAN

  Athletes are great at recovering physically after racing; we eat well, rehydrate and some of us even stretch! But how much attention do we pay to our psychological recovery? How many of us take the time to review our performance so we can improve on it for next time?

  In this video I explain the importance of recovering mentally from competition and introduce some mindfulness and yoga techniques to help you develop a mental recovery plan. This will help boost your confidence, increase motivation in training and get you closer to smashing that next competition!

• How to cope with mistakes

• MISTAKES ARE PROOF THAT WE ARE TRYING.

  Learn how to cope with mistakes in competition by developing your own “mistake ritual”. Have fun with it and I hope the tips in my new video help you become a more resilient and successful athlete.

• Mental warm up routine for competition day

• SIGH, SPEAK, SEE, REPEAT.

  Get your head in the game on competition day with this weeks Sporting Mindset Workout; Mental warm up routine for competition day.

• Mental Toughness

• WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH SMASH IT!

  Endurance sports are about having the staying power to keep going when the going gets tough. You need to be physically and mentally tough if you want to achieve your very best performance. Boost your mental strength by putting my top three mental toughness tips through their paces in your next race.

• How to stay motivated in training

• MEDALS ARE WON IN THE WINTER AND COLLECTED IN THE SUMMER

  If you want to perform at your best in competitions you need to be consistently performing at your best in training. This Sporting Mindset Workout is about goal setting, this is the key to staying motivated through those long, gruelling winter training sessions.

   DOWNLOAD GOAL SETTING STAIRCASE PDF

• How to stay motivated in training part 2

• WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH THE TOUGH KEEP TRAINING

• How to beat nerves: Fail, giving 100%

• LOSERS QUIT WHEN THEY FAIL, WINNERS FAIL UNTIL THEY SUCCEED

  In a recent Twitter poll I asked; “Why do athletes get nervous on competition day?”

  89% said “fear of failure”
  11% said “it’s gonna hurt”

  If you want to beat nerves, you need to accept failure as an opportunity to grow, fail giving 100%, believe effort equals success, see results as an indicator of your current ability and remember the bigger picture.

• RELAXATION TRAINING: Breathing your way into the zone

• SIT BACK, RELAX AND BREATH YOUR WAY INTO YOUR OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE ZONE

  Athletes often say that they perform at their best when they are in the zone or a state of flow. But what does this mean and how can we achieve this state? In this video I introduce a couple of exercises for you to try at home to help you identify and achieve this flow state of mind.

• Who is sport and exercise psychology for?

• Anyone who participates in sport and exercise; from recreational to elite level and across all sports. It can be used to enhance athletic performance and mental health. I work with individuals and teams and provide support to coaches and parents.

• Does seeing a sport psychologist mean I am mentally weak?
• 
  Almost all professional athletes now work with a sport psychologist as part of their sport science support team (physiotherapy, strength and conditioning, nutrition etc). At the top level winners and losers are decided on the most minute of margins, therefore the development of a winning mindset can be what makes the difference.

• Is what we discuss confidential?
• 
  I am a chartered sport and exercise psychologist so I abide by the British Psychological Society’s professional code of conduct. So you can be confident that our work is held in the strictest of confidence.

• How much will it cost and how many sessions will I need?

• The sessions are 45 minutes for children and an hour for adults. The cost is £95 for children and students, and £120 for adults. They can be held at my home office near Salisbury, at your sporting venue (subject to travel expenses) or virtually via Teams.

• How do I get in touch?

• Just give me a call on 07939 682152 or complete the contact form below. I look forward to hearing from you.

I am committed to an evidence-based approach to my consultancy work. This ensures that I am using the latest scientific knowledge to help my clients improve their performance. I am passionate about furthering our knowledge in the field of sport psychology through my research and these are my latest projects;

Journal articles

Woodford, L., and Bussey L. (2021). Exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic social distancing measures on athlete wellbeing: a qualitative study utilising photo-elicitation. Frontiers in Psychology. 12:624023

Roberts, C.-M., Anderson, L., Woodford, L., & Byron-Daniel, J. Z. (2020). Psychological factors involved in adherence to sport injury rehabilitation: A systematic review. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Published online 25 March 2020.

Woodford, L. (2019). ‘The Dormouse’: my story as a lightweight rower with overtraining syndrome. British Journal of Sports Medicine Published Online First: 24 April 2019

Goddard K, Roberts C-M, Anderson L, Woodford L and Byron-Daniel J (2019) Mental Toughness and Associated Personality Characteristics of Marathon des Sables Athletes. Frontiers in Psychology 10:2259

Books & Book chapters

Woodford, L., & Taylor, Z. (2022). Being a sport parent. Austin Macauley.

Woodford, L & Roberts, C-M. (2021). Dual careers and athlete wellbeing. In N. Campbell, A. Brady & A. Tinknell-Smith (Eds). Developing and supporting athlete wellbeing: person first, athlete second. Routledge.

Woodford, L. (2020). The dormouse: Recollections of a lightweight rower with overtraining syndrome. In M. L. Sachs., Tashman, L. S., & Razon, S (Eds) Performance Excellence. Rowman & Littlefield.

Woodford, L. (2018). The adolescent exercising female. In J.J. Forsyth & C.-M. Roberts (Eds.), The Exercising Female: Science and its Application. Routledge: Oxford.